disdainful

adjective

dis·​dain·​ful dis-ˈdān-fəl 

: full of or expressing contempt for someone or something regarded as unworthy or inferior : full of or expressing scorn or disdain

a disdainful glare

is disdainful of all modern art

disdainfully

dis-ˈdān-fə-lē 

adverb

disdainfulness noun

Synonyms of disdainful

• contemptuous
• scornful
• arrogant
• abhorrent
• malicious
• cruel

Choose the Right Synonym for disdainful

proud, arrogant, haughty, lordly, insolent, overbearing, supercilious, disdainful mean showing scorn for inferiors.

proud may suggest an assumed superiority or loftiness.

too proud to take charity

arrogant implies a claiming for oneself of more consideration or importance than is warranted.

a conceited and arrogant executive

haughty suggests a consciousness of superior birth or position.

a haughty aristocrat

lordly implies pomposity or an arrogant display of power.

a lordly condescension

insolent implies contemptuous haughtiness.

ignored by an insolent waiter

overbearing suggests a tyrannical manner or an intolerable insolence.

an overbearing supervisor

supercilious implies a cool, patronizing haughtiness.

an aloof and supercilious manner

disdainful suggests a more active and openly scornful superciliousness.

disdainful of their social inferiors

Examples of disdainful in a Sentence

He looked at the waiter with a disdainful glare.

a disdainful attitude toward authority

Recent Examples on the Web

As Cusk has become more disdainful of fiction and more insistent on the documentary function of art, her work has become vaguer and less concrete, fading like old ink into blurred indeterminacy. — Becca Rothfeld, New Yorker, 16 Aug. 2026

It was delivered with sneers, an ugly, small-minded few minutes in support of the sclerotic, disdainful of dynamic change. — Kevin Rennie, Hartford Courant, 25 July 2026

Amusingly enough, someone who was neither perplexed nor disdainful was a young cast member by the name of Stephen Colbert. — Kelly Leonard, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026

The popularity of e-bikes and e-motos has soared since the COVID-19 pandemic, leaving lawmakers and law enforcement scrambling to regulate the bikes that are often used by young riders ignorant or disdainful of the rules of the road. — Sean Emery, Oc Register, 22 Apr. 2026

Word History

Etymology

see disdain entry 2

First Known Use

circa 1542, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for disdainful

• baneful
• gainful
• painful

Kids Definition

disdainful

adjective

dis·​dain·​ful dis-ˈdān-fəl 

: full of or expressing disdain

disdainfully

-fə-lē 

adverb

disdainfulness noun